The room mate and the care taker

As I walked into the building, I noticed a man sitting at the reception desk. He looked like he was in his late 40s or early 50s, with a thick mustache and dark hair graying at the temples. I could see the name tag Manoj on his shirt. He smiled when he saw me approach. “Hello, miss,” he said in a friendly tone. “How may I help you?”

I told him I was there to meet Anita, my roommate (I met her on Social Media). He nodded and picked up the phone on his desk. “Let me give her a call,” he said. After a few minutes of waiting, he hung up and informed me that she would be down shortly. “In the meantime, why don’t you make yourself comfortable,” he said, pointing to a nearby chair.

I thanked him and sat down, feeling slightly awkward as he continued to stare at me. I could tell he was trying to make.

I had settled in and was waiting when Anita finally walked through the door. She was late and immediately started apologizing, saying she got held up at work.

The first thing I noticed was how beautiful she looked. She had short bangs that framed her face perfectly, and her thin body moved gracefully as she came in and set down her bags.

"Hi, I'm Anita. Sorry I'm late!" she said with a warm smile.

I smiled back, feeling a bit nervous but also excited. "Hi, I'm Anjali. It's nice to meet you."

We chatted for a bit, getting to know each other. Despite the rocky start, I felt a sense of relief. Anita seemed kind and easy to talk to, and I had a feeling we would get along well.

As we unpacked my belongings, I couldn’t help but think about the strange man at the reception desk. There was something off about him, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. Maybe it was just my imagination playing tricks on me. Either way, I tried not to let it bother me too much. I was here to focus on my studies and make new friends, not worry about some creepy guy at the reception desk.

Later that night, after dinner, Anita suggested we watch a movie together in her room. We settled on a romantic comedy, both of us snuggled under a blanket on her bed. As the credits rolled, we began to talk about our hopes and dreams for the future. Anita confessed that she had always wanted to travel the world, while I admitted that I had dreams of becoming a successful businesswoman. We laughed and joked until we fell asleep, exhausted but happy.

The next morning, I woke up early to get ready for my first day of work. As I was brushing my teeth, I heard a knock on the door. Thinking it was one of my roommates, I called out, “Come in!” To my surprise, it was the man from the reception desk.

“Good morning, miss, we met downstairs yesterday. I am Manoj this apartment caretaker and manager” he said. “I’m sorry to disturb you, but I need you to fill out this form.” He handed me the memo, which contained a list of questions about my personal information.

“Of course,” I replied, taking the paper from him. “What is this for?”

“It’s standard procedure for all new residents,” he answered. “We need your name, address, phone number, emergency contact…” His voice trailed off as he listed the items on the form.

I nodded and began filling out the form. As I did so, I couldn’t help but notice how close he was standing to me. It made me feel uneasy, but I didn’t want to say anything and risk making a scene.

Once I finished filling out the form, I handed it back to him. He glanced over it quickly before tucking it into his jacket pocket.

"If you need any help you can call me."

He gave me a warm smile before leaving the room. I watched him go, feeling a mix of relief and confusion. What was his deal? Was he just being friendly, or was there something more sinister behind his actions?

I went back inside after closing the door. I was getting late and needed to take a shower.

When I reached the bathroom it was occupied. I could hear Anita inside.

I noticed that the door was slightly open.